The Giants were looking good in the first half
Brad Daluiso hit a 37 yd FG.
Christian Peter tackled Jim Miller in the End Zone for a Safety.
Brad Daluiso hit a 30 yd FG.

Hey Gamegirl, welcome back. We haven't heard from you for quite awhile.
"Oh get off my case. Life gets busy you know with the job and all, and the traveling and all, but I've been keeping up on things. Sometimes I even click on over to Team Giants to see what's up."

Well, how did you like what you saw tonight?
"Certainly not the outcome of the game, but I had read about the new uniforms and it was nice to see them in person. There were more empty seats than I thought there would be. The crowd was very vocal in a positive sort of way in the beginning, and it kind of wiped away some of the memories from last year, and you know I love seeing the game being played on natural grass!"

Are you up on the latest draft picks and all?
"Well YES. The Giants get a nice piece of my money every year, so I stay up on what they're doing with it even if you guys think I'm not around enough to notice. I mean, when they draft the Heisman Trophy winner with their first pick, it makes all the papers you know. Ron Dayne looks really big and powerful on the field. Lately I've been hearing about Ron Dixon. He looks sharp and fast out there, and that was the highlight of the night for us fans, watching Kerry Collins and the Giants receivers."

What else did you like?
"I know the Giants didn't get the points up on the board the way they wanted, but they seemed to have the ball a lot, and that's a big change from last year when the offense was three and out most of the time. So I like the ball control improvement, and I guess the rest will come with time. If our defense wasn't so banged up - see I read the game preview - the Bears would have been shutdown even more and maybe the outcome would have been different."

What didn't you like?
"Oh, seeing Pete Mitchell on crutches on the sidelines, and watching the crowds dwindle as the game wound down. I was kind of hopeful and thought we going to win this one the way things started out."

You sound a bit down
"Yeah, I know it's just preseason and all, but still, it would have been nice to see the Giants win one for the paying fans who trudge out to the games. It's been a long time you know. I guess it's just me. It's late and I'm really tired. That's it for now. Goodnight guys."

Something good for the fans out of this?
"It's not if you win or lose, it's how you play the game that counts. That's what my father used to say, and I'll apply it to the NFL, at least for the preseason games. The Giants made 24 first downs and that was good. Kerry Collins was sharp completing almost every pass he threw. Ron Dayne got a good workout and the fact that he was out there made some of the other stuff work. As Gamegirl mentioned, look at the ball control aspect."

The Giants didn't really get much yardage on the ground.
"I guess it's the NFL God's little joke that they averaged only 88 yards a game all last year, that's what they set out to improve on, and in this game they got 89.
Like I said, although Dayne didn't rack up a ton of yards, he keeps the opposition honest, and that's just for now. His first carry was for an unimpressive 2 yards, his next was for 7 and the one after that for the first down proved that he could be the medicine the Giants need.
Dayne also caught two passes for 18 yards. Come on, give the rookie a few preseason games to get it all going, and remember he was in the game a long time and not always behind the top offensive line. It was more important to see how he ran than how many yards were gained in this preseason game.
It was a little disappointing to see Mark Hartsell, who hasn't played football for quite sometime after being cut by the Washington in 1997, come in the game to beat you. Maybe the Redskins shouldn't have drafted all those high priced players and stuck with what they had."

Your favorite play of the game.
"You'll laugh, but it was Kerry Collins completing the very first pass of the game to TE Howard Cross. A lot of fans are always wondering why Cross is still around, and he always shows them. I love that guy. The Giants have yet to find a good pass catching tight end who can stay healthy enough to play. As Gamegirl mentioned, it was tough to see Pete Mitchell get hurt tonight. The Giants really need him on the field. Of course, it was great to see Brad Daluiso back healthy and kicking those two field goals."

Anything else good for the fans?
QB Kerry Collins had great command of the team, and he moved them well. As I said earlier, the ball control was great. You have to like the way they used Tiki Barber in the game. Second round draft pick, Cornelius Griffin, was looking good with two sacks and a deflected pass he almost grabbed for an interception. Christian Peter, who could lose his job to Cornelius Griffin, made sure his presence was known, with that safety. Free agent, wide receiver, Thabiti Davis, was a nice surprise catching 6 for 84 yards, and free-agent linebacker Jack Golden had a nice game.

The bad stuff Mikefan?
"Back to Pete Mitchell again, he had 58 catches last year, and would have had more if the Giants game plan at the time was to go to him more, and this year, he was again expected to be a major part of the Giants attack. It would really hurt to lose him for any length of time.
Special teams for the Giants did not look very good at all. The Bears returned a kickoff for 65 yards and a punt for 50 yards.
Next, if you just go bottom line, 89 yards a game on the ground is not going to cut it in real season play.
Get this, Gamegirl said that it seemed like a long time since the Giants won a game for the home fans. Well, check it out. The Giants didn't win anything at all in November, and they won just one home game in December. It was on December 5th against the Jets, who they outscored 41-28. A good part of that was due to the ball control factor the Giants had, with rookie Joe Montgomery running for 111 yards on 38 carries. My point is, the fans should take hope in the ball control the Giants had this game with Ron Dayne playing, and Joe Montgomery (out - cut lower lip) in the wings."

Last thoughts
"I would say that the first team held it's own in this game, and after that, the second and third stringers let it go. It's reflective of what's known about the Giants. They have no depth at positions and this will hurt as the season wears on."

Notes

TE Pete Mitchell suffered a severely sprained knee in the second quarter.
This was the first time Chicago won a preseason opener on the road since 1991.

Stats

Passing
Giants - Kerry Collins 15-18 for 117 yards, Mike Cherry 11-24 for 124 yards 1 INT, Jason Garrett 9-16 for 79 yards 1 INT
Chicago - Mark Hartsell 8-11 for 90 yards 1 TD, Cade Mcnown 3-5 for 42 yards, Clint Dolezel 2-4 for 17 yards 1 TD.

Rushing
Giants - Ron Dayne 17-48, Ron Dixon 1-17, Tiki Barber 1-14, Michael Jones 2-8, Sean Bennett 1-3, Kerry Collins 1-0, Craig Walendy 1-(-1).
Chicago - Frank Murphy 5-18, Marlon Barnes 6-14, Mark Hartsell 2-14, Curtis Enis 5-8, James Allen 3-6.

Receiving
Giants - Thabiti Davis 6-84, Sean Bennett 6-49, Tiki Barber 5-22, Amani Toomer 4-49, Greg Comella 3-14, Ron Dayne 2-18, Craig Walendy 2-9, Ron Dixon 2-7, Joe Jurevicius 2-23, Ike Hilliard 1-23, Howard Cross 1-10, Brian Alford 1-8, Pete Mitchell 1-7.
Chicago - Alonzo Mayes 2-42, Bobby Engram 2-49, Ryan Wetnight 2-16, Macey Brooks 2-11, Scott Dragos 1-17, Cory Bridges 1-11, James Allen 1-10, Curtis Enis 1-3, Frank Murphy 1-0.

Net yards rushing
Giants - 89
Chicago - 60

Net yards passing
Giants - 312
Chicago - 138

Scoring:

1ST QUARTER:
NYG - FG, BRAD DALUISO 37 YD, 13:12. NY GIANTS 3-0
2ND QUARTER:
CHI - FG, JARET HOLMES 24 YD, 0:11. CHICAGO 3, NY GIANTS 3
NYG - SAFETY, JIM MILLER TACKLED BY CHRISTIAN PETER IN END ZONE, 8:58. NY GIANTS 5-3
NYG - FG, BRAD DALUISO 30 YD, 13:05. NY GIANTS 8-3
3RD QUARTER:
CHI - TD, MACEY BROOKS 3 YD PASS FROM MARK HARTSELL (JARET HOLMES KICK), 6:25. CHICAGO 10-8
CHI - FG, PAUL EDINGER 43 YD, 12:03. CHICAGO 13-8
4TH QUARTER:
CHI - TD, SCOTT DRAGOS 17 YD PASS FROM CLINT DOLEZEL (JARET HOLMES KICK), 9:06. CHICAGO 20-8

Next Game
Aug 11, at Jacksonville 8:00 PM.

Game 1

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